The Christmas Kiss
by MissScorp


Title: The Christmas kiss.

Author: Sheri 

Disclaimer: I don't get to own anything WWE related but Kayla is my own little creation... as is the non-important people

Feedback: Is appreciated as always.

Rating: This is gonna be pretty tame to my way of thinking... perhaps PG for language... maybe PG-13 for the slight sexual innuendo at the end.

Summary: Kayla is a bartender that has seen it all and heard it all. It's days before Christmas, it's been busy in her bar, and she's feeling a little blue about the Holidays until a handsome stranger shows up and helps make it become just a little bit better. (Orton/OFC)

Authors Note: This is only a one chapter deal because it's just a simple Christmas story that popped into my head but I am having fun with it so it could become more if everyone likes it.

It had been a long day followed by an even longer evening. An evening that in fact saw her play hostess to a maximum capacity filled bar full of thirsty people. Parched people ordering alcoholic drinks as if they had no worries for their livers, or for when they woke up the next morning. Jack and Coke, Bourbon and Seven, Long Island Ice Teas, Margaritas, Tequila Sunrises, shots straight up. All were ordered faster then she could make them. Her nerves were frayed and she could use a stiff shot of Parrot Bay to help her get through the rest of her shift. She hated working the holidays even though she held nothing against the season itself. She just hated that people seemed to lose their patience and their sense of respect. Why drink if you are going to get nasty was what her father had always said. She agreed wholeheartedly. Twice she had been yelled at by the same lady for not including green or red sugar on the rim of a margarita glass. Well they hadn't told her they wanted sugar on the rim of the glass she thought angrily as she wiped down the bar top with a white dishrag. As if being yelled at for not putting sugar on a glass wasn't enough, she had also been yelled at what felt like a million times because her drinks weren't celebrating "Christmas."

Three times she had been commanded to remake a drink so that it would look more festive. How the hell did you make a Jack and Coke look "Christmas" like? She wondered in annoyance. Granted one could make a Tokyo Tea which was green, but how did you make a Long Island Ice Tea look like a green and red Tequila sunrise? You can't just add grenadine to it because it throws off the taste and she didn't keep food coloring around for the people who just needed to show they were full of Holiday cheer. Some Holiday cheer she thought dispassionately as she tossed the dishrag into the sink. The attitudes of people had been this way for the last three weeks and she was thankful that Christmas Eve was in three days. She was definitely ready for things to get back to normal, or, she realized with a faint tired smile, as normal as they could be before New Years. A petite hand tanned a deep gold reached up to swipe back a few errant strands of crimson colored hair that had come free of the ponytail she had thrown it into earlier that evening. She couldn't wait to get off work tonight. She needed to regroup before tomorrow night or she was going to kill somebody. Preferably the blonde seated at the door too Kayla thought, eyeballing the chosen vindictive of the evening with hot eyes.

"Kayla-bear can I get another beer?" A deep voice belonging to a large man seated at the bar asked her, breaking her out of her murder happy thoughts. Kayla turned her onyx gaze, knowing immediately who had asked her for another beer without having to look up. Her eyes turned upon a man seated in front of her, smiling a knowing smile that calmed the anger blazing in her veins. Devlin Rafferty. A smile played about her lips as she looked at the man who had become like a second father to her. Dev was in his early fifties but didn't look to be a day over thirty-three. His hair was jet black, curly, with a few threads of silver at his ears and temples that only added a more distinguished countenance to his face. The days worth of stubble that lined his jaw was as of yet untainted by the silver beginning to thread through his hair and there were slight wrinkles at his eyes which said that Dev spent much of his days laughing. Which Kayla knew as fact since she had known him since she was a child. Dev still worked at the factory on the outside of town, and his thickly muscled arms and legs proved that he didn't live a laid back lifestyle. "Absolutely Dev," She replied with a warm smile. "Bottle or draft this time around?"

"I'll take a bottle as always Kayla-bear," He responded, calling her by the nickname that he had given her when she had been a little girl. Kayla shook her head in silent bemusement of the nickname as she took the empty bottle he handed her and dropped it into the garbage can beneath the bar. "Katie is coming by to get me soon as she finishes her Christmas shopping. Figure I have time left for one last beer if I know my Kate." He added with a fond chuckle as he watched the young girl he had known since she was a toddler turn to get him another beer from the refrigerator. She had sure turned into a little beauty he thought, watching the way that Kayla moved about behind the bar. He was fond of this young lady and wasn't afraid to admit it. Watching her reminded him of Nicole. Kayla's waist length hair had been dyed scarlet since she had been sixteen, a fact that Kayla's mother had hated but accepted as simple teenage rebellion. Kayla had classic features. A full set of pouting lips stained a perpetual rose pink were paired with eyes of such a dark hue that he wasn't sure that she had pupils. Her jaw was delicately shaped, as were both her ears which contained eight silver hoop earrings of different sizes. Her cheekbones were high set, her nose perfectly shaped to her face and her eyes slanted slightly to give her an exotic look. She was a striking young lady, as her mother had been at her age. Granted Kayla had the same dark eyes, olive skin complexion and curl to her hair as her father but that was the only similarity that existed between father and daughter. Her willowy figure with its just the right amount of rounded curves and lanky limbs was all the grace of her mother. If he wasn't old enough to be her father and married to his beautiful wife Kate, he would have tried his damn best to turn Kayla's lovely head.

"Isn't it a bit late for the stores to be open still?" Kayla questioned with a raise of a eyebrow which shook Dev out of his scrutinizing thoughts. "I thought they were closing at ten all week?"

"Nope, most of the mall is staying open till eleven since it's so close to Christmas," Dev responded, taking the bottle she handed him. "Thanks."

Kayla nodded her head in silent acceptance and turned to add the beer to the tab she always ran for Dev when he came in the bar. "Stores should be happy, they are making more money tonight then they have in this whole year." She supplied over her shoulder with a hint of sarcasm tingeing the words. Dev chuckled as he took a swallow of the amber liquid. Just like Kayla to be so caustic about the upcoming holiday he realized with a shake of his head. Kayla tallied the figures she had written down on the piece of paper and turned to set it upside down in front of him. "Who are you spending the holiday with Kayla?" Dev asked suddenly which got Kayla to give him a cheeky grin. "Why you old dog, are you trying to pick me up?" She demanded playfully, putting her hands on her hips and giving him a good glare. "What would Katie say?"

"That I'd be nuts not to try and pick up a pretty and young thing like you!" Dev teased easily in response. Kayla laughed happily and turned to get a beer for someone else seated at the bar. Dev merely watched her movements and waited for when she would turn her attention back to him. "You know Katie wants you to come over to the house for Christmas dinner." He said softly when she looked over at him. Reaching out a tanned hand to rest it on top of one of hers he gave her a smile. "She loved your Mom and wouldn't want you sitting home alone. Not on Christmas."

"I know," Kayla responded softly in return, her thoughts of the mother and father she had lost a year ago on Christmas Eve. The pain had still to fade even all these months and sometimes Kayla wondered if it ever would. "Jake's supposed to be on break for the Holidays, but you know how he's been since he got hooked up with that girl he met in the spring semester."

Dev's quiet laughter went unnoticed by Kayla. He knew well that Kayla didn't like her brothers new girlfriend, Dani. She had made that fact clear to him the last couple months. "He going to her folks then?"

"Said he would come home so we could have Christmas dinner together but I doubt if he will." Her shoulders lifted into a carefree shrug but Dev saw the loneliness that she was trying hard to fight. "She's got him on a short leash after all and she is more important then his own sister."

"Well, sounds like he's serious for once about a girl." Dev replied logically which got Kayla to nod in ascent. "That's definitely a switch from when he was in high school and had a new girlfriend every three days."

"I know," she said with a sigh as she turned to look out at the bar half full of people. "I just wish that he wasn't so serious about _this _girl. I just really don't like her Dev." She admitted, her face scrunched up in a way to reflect her dislike for the petite blonde her young brother was dating. "She's so snobby that I want to slap the taste from her mouth sometimes."

"I know you don't like her honey, but well, the boy has a right to whomever he wants to date." He stated gently, patting her hand in a soothing manner. Kayla only offered a wan smile before she turned to start wiping down the back of the bar with the dishrag. "As you are allowed to like whomever you want too sweetie," He suggested with a shrewd smile.

"You know that I have no time for dating," Kayla said, her voice without reproach. She knew that Dev meant well but she just didn't have the time for such frivolous things as dating in her life. Not that she didn't want to find a nice guy to spend her evenings at home with. He knew that as well as she did.

"Honey you are going to have to find the time to devote to someone," He reprimanded which got Kayla to smile.

"You are acting just like a father Dev," She teased which got him to chuckle once again. Business picked up in the bar once more which took Kayla away from being able to converse with him. He was content though to watch as she handled the customers who approached her, her smile always in place, her voice always soft and melodic. A few of the people who got short with her Dev would have loved to reprimand but he knew Kayla would not appreciate it and left her to fight her own battle. The customers at the bar thinned out finally which allowed Kayla to take a breath and smile over at Dev. He finished his beer and handed her the bottle which she deposited in the garbage. "You've had a long night Kayla-bear. Go home, take a long bath and get a good nights sleep." He advised as he stood up from his barstool. Kayla nodded her head and gave him a tired smile as he picked up the jacket he had set on the stool next to him, unfolding it before pulling in on. "You heading out then?" He nodded in response and reached into his jacket pocket to drop a twenty on the counter. "Yup," he answered as he pulled on the jacket. "Katie should be done shopping by now." He chuckled softly as he zipped the jacket halfway up. "Or at least I hope she is. I don't know how I will afford if she isn't."

"I'm sure she is through," Kayla returned warmly, jealous almost of the love that Dev shared with his wife Kathleen. "You and Katie drive safe Dev and have a good Christmas."

Dev winked at her as he dropped a few dollar bills he had stuffed into a pocket on top of the twenty. "We will," He promised with an affectionate smile before turning to walk towards the door. "Make sure that you come by for dinner. You know Katie will be upset if you don't." He called over his shoulder. Kayla laughed and shook her head before picking up the money that he had dropped onto the counter. "If I don't work the late shift and if that goof of a brother of mine doesn't show up you can count that I'm dropping by. Especially if Katie makes her famous chocolate chip cookie pie. MmmMmm so yummy I can taste it already." Dev said nothing aloud to indicate that he had heard her but Kayla knew that he had by the simple shaking of his shoulders. He disappeared through the door with another couple and Kayla sighed, feeling alone suddenly in a room full of people. She always felt this way after Dev left and she had never been able to understand why. She didn't know what she would do without Dev really. He was a balm to the hurt that was lingering within her at the loss of her parents.

She shook her head after a moment and turned to finish the glasses that were in the sink. No sense in leaving a sink full of dirty glasses that she would get to do tomorrow night when she came in to work was her theory. The bar slowly started to empty of its customers, the den of noise that had given her a headache slowing to a low bellow that she could tolerate. Her nerves, frazzled by the tipsy people began to quiet, which she was thankful for. If she had to make just one more senseless alcoholic concoction that someone had thought up at their table she was going to scream she reflected with a smirk on her lips. Catching hold of a couple of the stems of the margarita glasses she had washed, Kayla started to hang them back in their slots above her head. She missed the door being opened to allow a man to step inside the warmth of the bar and out of the horrible winter that was blistering everyone outside. Light blue eyes framed by thick, dark lashes took a quick assessment of the room and saw that it was mostly empty save for a few people gathered at some of the tables. A smirk tilted one side of the man's full lips as he slowly began to make his way across the room in the direction of the bar. Black dress shoes, shined to a gleam made only the faintest sound upon the wood floor. Nobody turned their heads towards the sound as he made his way through the throng of tables, and no one stopped him to ask for an autograph, a fact which pleased him. Greatly. Reaching the bar he pulled out a stool and took a seat, waiting for the woman that was hanging glasses to look at him. She was a pretty girl, in her middle twenties he would assume. What she would be doing in a place like this and obviously as the bartender was beyond him.

Kayla heard the scrape of a bar stool on the floor and turned her head to see who the sound had been caused by. Expecting to find someone getting ready to leave left her unprepared to discover herself face to face with the single most handsomest man she had ever encountered in her whole life. His chestnut hair was cut short and spiked in the front in a rakish style. His face was shaved smooth and he had beautiful eyes that were faintly laced with warm amusement at some hidden secret only he knew about. She could drown in those eyes she realized before noticing that his full lips had the hint of a smirk, a smirk that Kayla realized that she recognized. A smirk that she realized she had in fact seen Tuesday afternoon when she had sat down to watch RAW before coming to work. My God, she knew who this man was she realized, her dark eyes widening in surprise. Randy Orton!

Kayla swallowed the yelp of surprise that had sprang into her throat at the sudden appearance of the WWE superstar. Randy for his part simply raised one eyebrow at the astonishment in her eyes. He was used to girls staring, hell he was used to them swarming to him, but this one didn't seem to be staring at him because of his good looks. If anything she looked shocked that he would even be here in this bar. Which amused him. Kayla felt the heat that crept up her neck to flood her cheeks with embarrassed color when she realized that was rudely staring at the poor man. Tearing her gaze away and trying her best to focus upon a glass that she picked up in one hand, she asked the question that she had asked for the better part of the night.

"What can I get for you?" God but she was hoping that her voice didn't sound as breathless to him as it did to herself. Randy smiled, charmed by the girl and her reaction to him.

"What would you suggest for a guy like me to drink?" He questioned, knowing he was putting her on the spot but unable to resist doing so. She was a diamond amidst a sea of pearls. A rarity very much welcomed. Kayla hung the glass she had picked up in her quest for calm onto the rack above her before turning her attention back to the man seated at the bar. She studied him for a few moments with eyes that Randy felt saw clear through to his soul. The feeling left him feeling naked and quite a bit vulnerable.

"I don't think you are a hard alcohol drinker from the looks of you. Perhaps just an occasional beer or glass of champagne?" Randy nodded his head in response, a smile hovering about his lips. Kayla tilted her head to the left, a finger set to her lips as she continued to study him. "So, now I would have to ask you what you were in the mood for? Just a drink to relax and take the edge off a long, hard day? Or are you looking to forget something that you know you will remember in the morning but don't want to for right now?" Randy blinked at the frankness of the questions she had posed to him. Could she see how much he wanted to forget that he was a WWE superstar? No, there was no way he thought silently, studying the eyes that stared back at him, bolder now then they had been a few moments before. He was shaken by the question in a way that he had not been in quite a long while.

"Well, that's definitely a loaded answer to my question," he replied, chuckling softly and shaking his head. "Must say I wasn't prepared for you to ask me such a set of questions."

There was a mischievous light in her eyes. "You asked for my opinion," She replied with an innocent smile and shrug of her shoulders. A smile that Randy realized didn't quite make its way to her eyes even though the devilishness remained. Kayla turned her head away a few seconds later. She felt his gaze probe hers and didn't like it but it had been an adequate amount of time for Randy to have seen enough. There was pain hidden deep within her gaze. A hurt that only time could soothe away. He wondered what could have caused such an ache. Or who he amended silently. "What's your favorite drink?" He quizzed, pondering still over why such a lovely woman would have so much hidden behind her stare. Did someone dump her? He wondered. God but what asshole could break up with someone as beautiful as this right before the Holidays?

"I don't drink much but when I do I'm partial to a Rum Runner," Kayla responded, folding her arms across her chest and turning her dark gaze back to his. "Sometimes I'll make a Hurricane," She smiled and again he noticed that it did not reach her eyes. "Depends on my mood."

"What's your mood right now?" He asked, liking the honest way that she spoke. It was obvious that she had been surprised by his appearance a few moments ago but she had regained her aplomb quickly after the initial shock. That she wasn't screaming or trying to tear the bar apart to get to him was a credit to her disposition he felt. She wasn't someone that cared what you were but who you were he could tell. An oddity that he could appreciate. "Tired," came her blunt answer followed by a soft laugh. "I feel like I've been in the ring against your friend Batista. Only instead of getting my butt kicked by him I spent twenty minutes making him chase me around the ring."

Randy laughed at the analogy, imagining it within his mind. "Dave's a good guy," He assured her after a moment. "He would never lay a hand upon a lady. Make you run around the ring to get you into shape most likely." The comment worked as he had hoped it would. The smile that curved Kayla's lips this time reached up to her eyes and added flecks of gold to the very black depths. "Remind me to treat him nicely then if he ever comes in my bar," Kayla teased. "I'm tired from a long shift, I'd be dead if I did my shift and went on a run with him."

"Long night huh?" He said sympathetically.

"Oh but you have an idea. You've been in front of a crowd three times what I have seen in the last month." She responded with a light snicker.

"So the Rum Runner would have to be the choice then for a drink huh?" He joked which had Kayla nod and give another snicker.

"I'm liking the idea myself, how about you?" She returned with a wink.

"I'll try one," he replied, removing the black dustier he had worn to keep down the cold that had left the ground outside covered in white. "Sounds pretty good in fact." He added after setting the jacket on the stool next to him.

"One Rum Runner coming right up," Kayla said as she grabbed a glass from above her and turned to fill it with ice from the bucket on the counter. Randy watched, noticing the easy movements that she made behind the counter.

"You guys always this quiet on a Wednesday night?" He questioned after taking a quick look around. Kayla snorted in derision. "Not lately," She answered over her shoulder as she grabbed the bottle of Captain Morgan from where it rest along the back wall. "You should have been here a few hours ago. There were more people here then I could keep up making drinks for."

"You the only bartender on tonight?" He asked with a raise of his eyebrows. "I would think that you would be working in shifts considering how close Christmas is."

"For the most part I'm on my own after seven," She responded as she set the bottle she had used back and grabbed the Bacardi silver in its place. "The owner works the day shift and I come in around four till close. Which is two in the morning. Occasionally my bosses son Angel will come in to give me a hand, but that's not till the weekends." She set the Bacardi next to her on the counter and reached for another that Randy didn't recognize offhand.

"A lady shouldn't be working in a bar with hours like those," He said, concern for her well being deepening his voice. Kayla paused in her movements and looked over her shoulder at him, touched by the gentleman attitude he had just displayed. If not for Dev and a few of the others who were regulars at the bar she would have forgotten that guys actually worried about a woman's safety. It was indeed not a very safe world which was why Kayla kept a baseball bat beneath the counter of the bar in case anybody got to out of hand. "I'm okay with it," She said with a gentle smile. "There's usually a few of the regulars wait in the parking lot until I walk out and get in my car so its not like anything bad will happen to me."

"What does your husband think of you working in a place like this?" He pressed, studying the way the drink in front of her was coming together. She hadn't paused once to check and make sure she was using the correct liquor. She had gone without having to pause to think of the next liquor to put in. She was obviously accomplished with bar tending he realized, watching how she measured by sight not with the shot piece next to her on the counter.

"I'm not married and it wouldn't really matter if I was or not," She replied matter of fact. "I'm my own woman." She poured the last bit of the juice needed into the drink before settling a piece of pineapple onto the rim of the glass. Turning to set the orange and red concoction in front of him she gave him a small smile. "Have to pay the bills and Rob is good enough to let me go to school and work at night. Not many bosses would be so willing to allow that."

"You're in college?" He asked with such a note of surprise in his voice that Kayla laughed gently. "Yes, I'm attending college," She teased, smiling in amusement. "Why is that so surprising?"

"I dunno," he replied, stirring the drink with the straw that she had put into the glass. "I guess that I didn't think you were in school. What are you studying?" He asked, his curiosity piqued.

"I'm working on a degree in early childhood development actually," Kayla replied, surprising herself and him by giving an answer. She rarely if ever told strangers about herself but with him she found it was something easy to do. It was easy to talk to him. To easy she realized, lowering her lashes to shield her gaze from him. It worried her that she could feel so at ease with this man even though she only knew him from his television character. She had spent the last twelve months keeping people at bay but here was this one man and she was breaking all her own rules. Sure, a man like Randy Orton was the kind a girl hoped could even be interested in her and Kayla admitted that she was interested. What woman, single or not wouldn't be interested? None was her unspoken answer. It was just that she wasn't stupid. She had seen quite a few guys come in the bar and give her the same appraisal that Randy was currently. She knew he was aware of her as a female. A female that was interesting him at the moment. But she also knew that awareness was as far as it could go. Attraction could last for this one night. She knew that neither of them would be truly happy with that. A one night stand would sure, satisfy their bodies demands, but their hearts would be left empty in the morning. She didn't want that and she didn't think he did either. Better to not string him along and set the boundary now then later when both of us could get hurt she decided with a pang.

"You want to be a teacher?" He asked, taking a hesitant sip of the drink and finding it to be sweet. He gave her a smile of appreciation and took another sip which Kayla returned before she turned to grab the dishrag she had left on the corner of the sink. "Not a teacher actually," she said finally after a couple moments of cleaning the back counter. "I want to be a youth counselor more or less. Or a psychologist. Not sure which at the moment to be honest. Just know that so many kids fall through the cracks because they don't think anyone can understand what they are going through. I want to show them that someone does understand and that someone is willing to help them."

Randy was taken by surprise with her response. Of all the answers he had expected, he hadn't expected the sincere and honest one that she had given. "Here I am drinking a drink made by the future leading doctor in all of psychiatry medicine," He teased softly. "Talk about having the greatest luck in the entire world."

Kayla laughed and shook her head before swiping the rag over the top of the bar to rid it of the liquid and crumbs that had been left behind by people as they got up to leave. "You remind me of my brother Jake when you say that."

"So you have a brother but not a husband. Please don't tell me this answer but is there a boyfriend by chance?" He continued to tease, really liking how easy it was to talk to her. Kayla quite obviously didn't see him for his WWE career. She didn't see him as another big dumb wrestler. When Kayla looked at him, he knew that she was looking at _him_. She snorted before turning to toss the rag into the sink. "Pft, you should know by your own career that there is little time for such things as relationships."

"Yes but I'm on the road more then I'm not," He replied with a smile at her sarcasm. "You are here more often then on the road."

"Just don't have the time to give to a man," Kayla admitted finally. "I took over the responsibility of a house and bills when my folks passed away last year. Have to work to eat, and have to go to school so I can get out of here." Her hands swept the bar to explain the here part of her comment before she turned her gaze back upon him. "I don't plan on staying a bartender my whole life Randy but I will do what I have to so that I can keep the roof over my head and the animals all fed."

"I'm sorry to hear about your parents." He said sincerely, reaching forward to place a hand atop one of hers where it sat on the bar. Kayla debated pulling her hand away since it had been so long since she had allowed someone to offer her comfort but thought better of it. It felt nice having the pressure of his hand atop hers. To nice she reminded herself. "Thank you," she said softly, her smile a bit shy which he found adorable. "I didn't mean to put you on the spot," he said understandingly, squeezing her hand.

"Oh I know," she returned with a smile that was warmer then a second ago but still carrying the hint of her previous shyness. "It's just not something I'm used to talking about." Her shoulders lifted for a second but didn't complete the shrug. "Guess cause I haven't yet accepted that they are really gone yanno?" She said with a lopsided smile.

"I don't know how you can ever accept such a hard hitting fact as the loss of a parent," Randy said softly. "And to lose two? I couldn't imagine that happening."

"It's hard at times," she admitted in a somber voice. "Especially since this is the first Christmas without them being here. But it will get easier in time, of that I'm certain."

"It's definitely rough," He agreed, giving her a solemn smile. "Surely you have family to spend the Holiday with though?"

"I have my younger brother," she admitted. "But I think he'll be spending Christmas with his girlfriend and her family. Not sure yet." Not like I'd want to spend the Holiday with them anyway she added silently. I'd rather be shot and buried before doing that. He didn't need to know her feelings about that particular subject so she kept them to herself.

"Why can't you spend Christmas with them?" He inquired, taking another sip of his drink. Kayla snorted and went to the refrigerator to get another beer for the man who came up to the counter. "I don't like Dani, which is Jake's girlfriend." She said after the man had walked back to his table. "She's rude. And snobby." She's a bitch was the silent thought. A silent thought that Randy deduced just by looking into Kayla's eyes.

"But at least you wouldn't be alone on Christmas," he said gently.

"I won't be," she assured him. "I have friends to spend the holiday with."

"It's not the same as family but at least you won't be alone," he agreed, his voice not as sure as hers was. Kayla smiled, warmed deeply by his concern. "I'll be fine Randy, I promise."

"If you're sure," he said with a teasing smile. "I'm sure," she affirmed with a shake of her head. "Besides, you're losing your Christmas spirit by listening to my tale of woe."

"I don't mind hearing your tale of woe," he said with a chuckle.

"I mind boring you with it," she replied primly, sticking her tongue out at him in a playful manner.

"Don't offer that if you aren't going to use it," he joked with a wink that had Kayla laughing for a number of seconds.

"Oh that's good," she finally said, breathless from laughing so hard. "It's been a while since I laughed like that."

"A pretty girl like you should always be laughing," He teased again and which got another giggle from Kayla.

"You're a flatterer," She admonished gently. "A very good one at that."

"I'm being honest," He returned with a wink. "You're a very pretty girl, especially when your eyes twinkle like they are right now with your happiness."

Kayla just shook her head and gave him an amused look before she turned to smile at the man she had seen come up to the counter out of the corner of her eye. The smile faded when she realized who it was that stood there looking her over as if she was nothing more then a piece of meat he was thinking of purchasing. Good God no, she thought with an inward groan for the appearance of the blonde haired, green eyed man in front of her. Ted Davidson. Man, anybody but this jerk she thought with a sour expression on her face. Realizing that there was nothing that she could do since she was the person in charge this evening, Kayla turned to face the man who stood there and did her best to paste a smile on her face.

"What can I get you Ted?" She asked, hesitancy in every syllable that she spoke. She knew what he was going to ask and wished that he wouldn't. She quite honestly couldn't stand this man and had told him so, often. "My bill for tonight and your agreement to go out on a date with me," the man replied with a wolfish leer that sickened Kayla's stomach. Kayla inclined her head, not wanting to have to deal with this man tonight but knowing that she had no other recourse open to her. He disgusted her with his perpetual offers for a date. She had no desire to and was never going to go out on a date with the odious man and wished that he would accept that fact! Something that Ted would have known had he not been so arrogant about her response! Without a word in reply to the second part of his request, she turned to get a copy of the tab she had written down for him throughout the evening.

"Here you are," she commented as she set the piece of paper on the counter in front of him. Ted picked it up and looked at it for a second, seeing the total amount was the same as what he had tallied in his mind while sitting at his table in the corner of the room. Kayla turned away to take a glass from a woman who had walked up to the bar while Ted retrieved his wallet from his back pocket. Pulling out a single bill he dropped it on the counter and smiled invitingly at Kayla who turned to look at him. He ignored the glimmer of disgust in her pitch colored eyes. She would settle down once he taught her that she had no recourse but to accept him as her provider.

"When you going to have dinner with me Kayla?" He asked sweetly, to sweetly to the ears of Kayla as she picked up the money he had dropped on the countertop and turned to the cash register. "You know I don't go out on dates with guys who come in the bar," she chided over her shoulder. "I've told you this time and time again Ted, stop asking, please." Randy noticed the please Kayla had spoke had come out in a trembling voice. A frown knit his brow as he studied her body language for a clue as to why she would have changed so much with this mans question. It was as if she wasn't fond of the guy. As if his very presence as he stood there at the bar troubled her in a way that she kept hidden. Randy turned his head slightly and saw how the mans gaze raked over her as she finished drawing change from the drawer. There was a crazed heat in the depths of the mans sea green eyes that he was masking behind a jovial and pleasant demeanor. A faceless menace Randy decided, that was written on the guys face and it troubled him. In fact, it did more then just trouble him. It made him simply not like _him_.

"Aww, come on Kayla, can't you make an exception on that rule, just for me?" the man pleaded in a nasally voice that grated on both Randy's and Kayla's nerves. Randy though noticed there was a quality to Ted's words that he recognized as a warning. A warning about what? He wondered, frowning slightly and flexing his fingers around the glass that was still half full in front of him. A warning that if she said no something would happen to her? Well that was certainly not about to he decided silently, taking another drink from the glass. Kayla turned to look at Ted and noticed the hard edged glint to his eyes that said there would be hell to pay if she said no once more to his dinner invitation. Well she sure as hell was not going to say yes! She thought in annoyance. "Ted, you know the rules."

"Screw the rules," he snarled cruelly. "Either you are or aren't going to go on a date with me, and I believe that you should say yes Kayla."

Her gaze reflected her disgust. Wisely she contained her tongue, especially since Ted could turn and decide to take his anger out upon Randy who sat at the bar. Slamming his change on the bar she said very softly and in her clearest tone, "Get out of my bar and don't you dare to set foot inside it again Ted. You hear me? Never." Ted's eyes lowered and his fingers flexed. He was itching to reach out and slap her for her insolence in throwing him from the bar as she had. "And if you think I'm bluffing, you just wait and find out." Kayla said quietly, knowing that Ted was thinking of hurting her and refusing to allow him the privilege of seeing her fear. Randy wasn't fooled though. He could see the fear that was in her eyes and slowly pushed his glass away. Ted pocketed the change that she had set on the counter in front of him and frowned in disapproval at her order.

"You can't keep avoiding me Kayla. One of these days you won't have anybody around to keep you safe. Then I'm going to teach you that you aren't so high and mighty."

Randy had heard enough and decided to interject on Kayla's behalf. "I don't think that I like how you keep threatening my wife," He said softly, not looking up from the bar. "And even if she wasn't my wife, I still wouldn't like how you are addressing her." Ted turned furious eyes upon the man who had dared to speak aloud.

"We all know that Kayla has no husband," he snarled in an ugly voice that sent the blood draining from Kayla's face. Randy merely turned his head and fixed the man with a cold glare. "Well, what you all know is obviously wrong," He said.

"Oh really?" Snarled Ted who looked close to losing what little he had left of his temper. Kayla felt the fear rumbling around in her stomach. Why had Randy decided to speak up? she wondered in a near panic. Didn't he realize that Ted wasn't someone that you pissed off as he had quite clearly done? "And just when did Kayla become your wife?" Came the next demanded question which had Kayla turning wide, fearful eyes to Randy as if silently asking what he was going to do now. Randy didn't turn his head towards her, not yet at least, since it could be a costly mistake. Things had gone wrong he realized, very wrong. What he had intended as a diffuser to a bad situation was now even worse. Everything hung upon if he gave an answer that was plausible. Taking a quick glance at Kayla out of the corner of his eye and seeing her mouth forming a word silently gave him an idea.

"What does it matter what day that Kayla became my wife?" He asked, turning to give her a warm smile that he hoped passed for one coming from a newly married, and quite happy with the woman he had chosen, man. "She is my wife and that's all there is to it."

"I highly doubt that someone who wears expensive suits and drives a fancy car like you do would leave a woman like Kayla to work in a hole in the wall like this if she was truly your wife," Ted said smugly. Randy arched an eyebrow and turned his head to give Ted a cocky smirk.

"Well there you are wrong friend," he said softly. "Because I'm quite comfortable with my wife working in this place. And not that it is any of your business but Kayla and I were married this morning." Reaching forward he took hold of one of Kayla's hands which felt like ice cubes. She was terrified and he could see it. He rubbed his thumb across the pulse in her wrist to relieve her agitation and noticed that Kayla just barely smiled in response at him. Randy knew in that moment that this guy had been troubling her for quite a long time. The fear in her eyes spoke of a woman who had met with the brutish retaliation of a bully. Which was going to stop he decided, his temper rose a higher degree with his realization.

"That's complete and utter bullshit!" Ted growled, pushing away from the bar and making a threatening move towards Randy who had remained seated throughout the whole encounter. Randy let go of Kayla's hand and turned to look at the advancing man with eyes filled with resolve. "You aren't Kayla's husband!" Ted roared which had a number of heads turning in his direction. "And even if you are her husband that is a problem that can be quickly remedied!" Randy saw in that instance just how insane this guy was and debated telling Kayla to call the police. He didn't see any other recourse short of killing the man and he didn't want to do that. Ted reared back with a fist, meaning to sink it into the seated man's face but he never got farther then shoving away from the bar. A large hand clamped down upon his shoulder effectively halting his forward movement. Sending a glare over his shoulder he noticed that the man who held him was Andrew Marshall, a three hundred, six foot, seven inch former linebacker for the high school football team. Ted sneered at the man and was about to demand being let go but Andrew's words stopped him. "Now Ted, I don't see why you are having such a conniption. If this here gentlemen says he married our Kayla then he married her. Now say good night and do as Kayla said. Get out of this bar and don't come back."

Ted doubled his fists at his sides, meaning to smash it into the face of the man who restrained him but a warning look out of Andrew kept his fists where they were. "Stay out of this Andrew, this is no business of yours."

"Well, I'm making it my business since you're upsetting Kayla," said Andrew in response. "Now let's go Ted. You're leaving just as was requested. And if you don't want to go quietly then me and Bobby will more then happily change your mind." Ted glared hatefully at first Kayla then Randy but didn't put up much of a fight as Andrew led him to the door of the bar. If his looks could have killed they would all be dead right now Kayla realized. Turning her frightened gaze upon Randy as soon as Ted had been shoved through the door with both Andrew and Bobby following him she asked in a whisper, "What prompted you to say that we were married?" Randy's eyes turned to her and he noticed that her face was still as white as a piece of chalk. "You don't know Ted," She continued to say. "He would have tried to kill you if Andrew hadn't restrained him."

"Well he could have tried," Randy said gently, reaching over to caress her icy cheek with the back of his fingers. "But he wouldn't have succeeded. I may look scrawny but I'm a scrapper trust me."

"Ted doesn't take kindly to anyone stopping him from getting what he wants," she said, vexed with how he was able to tease when he could have been killed.

"Figured saying that you were my wife might be just about the only thing that guy would accept as a hint that you wouldn't date him," He replied with a shrug of his shoulders. "Besides that, it was time that he learned that he wasn't going to get what he wants like a spoiled child."

Kayla laughed even though the sound was still strained. "I don't think he'll be coming back anytime soon," she said softly, the color slowly starting to return to her face. "If he does I have a feeling that Bobby and Andrew will take care of him. Not even Ted wants to deal with those boys when they are angry."

"Long as he stays away from you," he responded seriously, taking her hand within his and caressing her wrist with his thumb.

"With a husband like you I'm sure he will," she teased, the twinkle in her eyes. Randy chuckled and finished the last of his drink in one long swallow.

"You're amused with this aren't you?" He asked finally as he set the empty glass to the side.

"Absolutely," she admitted, squeezing his hand before pulling away.

"How long has that asshole been bothering you?" he probed as she turned to finish the last set of glasses that were in the sink. "Ted has been coming in here longer then I've worked here really. Started hitting on me a couple months ago and hasn't quit with any of the no's that I've given him," said Kayla over her shoulder, avoiding saying what he had speculated had happened.

"He hit you didn't he?" Randy asked out of nowhere to gauge her reaction. Kayla nearly dropped the glass that she had been washing in the sink. Slowly she turned her head to look at him, her gaze stricken. "He did." He answered softly for her, seeing how her gaze lowered.

"Yea," she finally admitted before turning away. "He would have again if there weren't people in the bar."

"Now I wish that he would have stayed so I could have punched him," Randy said honestly, angry at the fact that a hand had ever been laid upon her. "No man has a right to lay a hand on a woman."

"Thank you Randy," Kayla whispered softly, her gaze lifting to his.

"Hey, I love coming to the rescue of a beautiful woman," he teased which got Kayla to smile.

"You're incorrigible," she said with a shake of her head. Randy heard the laugh in her voice and it filled him with a warmth that he knew was from the heart.

"How much do I owe you for the drink?" He asked finally as she finished washing the last of the glasses.

"You don't," Kayla responded over her shoulder. "That one was on me."

"You didn't need to do that," he said softly.

"I know I didn't but I wanted to," she replied. "And not because you saved me from the biggest jerk ever." She added as she looked at him, a smile gracing her lips and eyes. "Before you came in here I was feeling pretty blue about Christmas. Now it doesn't seem so bad."

"I'm glad that I could make everything feel a little better for you," he replied somberly. "Even though I still maintain that you should spend the holiday with your brother." Kayla laughed and finished wiping down the bar with the dishrag. "I wasn't invited Randy and couldn't just show up on their doorstep. Especially since I don't know where they live."

"Surely your brother would tell you if you said you wanted to see him?" he asked softly. "Maybe," she responded with a sigh. "My brother has his own life now." She stopped for a moment to look at him, her gaze serious. "As I have mine." She reminded him gently. He smiled slightly in reply and watched as she bustled back and forth behind the bar on the last of her rounds. The bar emptied of the people finally and signified to him that it was time for him to go as well. He reached for his jacket and stood up, the legs of his chair scrapping the wood floor. Kayla turned to look at him, her gaze somber as she knew what was coming.

"I enjoyed talking to you," she admitted with a slight smile.

"As I've enjoyed talking to you," he replied, pulling his jacket on.

"Drive safely," he heard her say as he turned to walk towards the door. Looking over his shoulder, he smiled, touched by the gentle concern that was in her voice. "I will," he promised.

Kayla came around in front of the bar and stood there, her hands clasped in front of her and a torn expression upon her face that he did not see. "Merry Christmas," she whispered as he reached the door and stretched out a hand to grasp the handle. "Merry Christmas," he said in response, twisting the doorknob and pushing open the door. Cold air filtered into the bar, sending a shiver down his spine that he ignored. Why did he feel like he was making a mistake? He questioned sullenly to himself. Kayla turned away from him, uncertain and feeling confused. She walked back to the bar to retrieve her purse from where she had dropped it in the cubby behind the bar hearing the door shut with a click that seemed to pierce her heart to the core. Sighing with the realization that no matter how much she wished otherwise that he had to leave, she grabbed her purse and pulled the strap up onto her shoulder. Some things are just not able to happen she realized as she moved from behind the bar to the middle of the room.

She raised her head and took one last look around the bar, seeing nothing but the emptiness. There had been a glow that had surrounded her even though she had tried her damndest to ensure that it wouldn't. When he had come to her defense against Ted she had been hooked. It was just as well that he had left she realized. If not she would have likely made the worst choice she had ever made. With a sigh she reached into her pocket to retrieve the keys to her car and turned to the door only to be startled by the figure standing in the shadows. The surprise got her to gasp and feel a moments real live fear at the possibility that Ted hadn't taken the hint as was expected. Perhaps he had watched as Randy had left the bar in his own car. Perhaps something bad had happened to Randy and he was even now bleeding to death out in the freezing cold. 'Perhaps' was the word that filled her mind with all sorts of gruesome images. Images that Randy saw as he stepped into the light of the room. Kayla relaxed visible when she saw it was him and he smiled apologetically. "I didn't mean to startle you," he offered as he approached where Kayla stood still in the middle of the room. "I just couldn't leave like this. Not yet."

"What do you mean?" Kayla asked, bewildered by the comment. "I mean," he whispered huskily as he stepped closer to her. "That I wasn't leaving without giving you a Christmas kiss. I seem to recall that the ceiling above your head is covered by those pesky mistletoe buds." A breath caught in Kayla's throat. She couldn't have talked if she wanted to and breathing was still out to lunch on the answer. It had been a long time since she had been kissed. Properly kissed, she amended silently, not the sloppy, disgusting kisses that Ted had forced upon her some months back. Randy smiled, seeing that he had knocked her speechless with his admission. The notion hadn't struck him until he had almost stepped outside into the freezing cold. Now it sounded like the single greatest idea he had ever had. His gaze drifted to her lips and he caught how she had tugged the bottom one between her teeth. The sight of such a nervous gesture on her part intrigued him. Kayla had appeared so calm, so in control throughout their conversation. It was hard to imagine that she could be nervous at any time other then when Ted had threatened them both. Slowly he raised his hand and allowed his thumb to graze her cheek before his fingers settled beneath her chin, tilting her face upwards even farther to give him a full glimpse into her dark eyes. Kayla watched as his head lowered towards hers and her eyelashes fell downwards to shield her gaze from his view. She knew that there was to much written in her eyes. To much that she didn't want him to see.

Her mouth opened to say something but his lips settled onto hers, soft and without hint of demand. It was a kiss unlike any that she had received in such a long time and it caused Kayla's mind to go almost completely blank. The bar, the world outside, the possibility of being caught never entered her mind. That his lips were upon hers was about the only logical thought that she was capable of having. She knew that she should stop him, that she should push him away, but she was helpless to do so. There was no way that she could have pushed him away had she even wanted to. Randy lips became more searching, more insistent. He was wanting her reaction, almost demanding it in a way where he had not before. She hesitated, uncertain, but to compelled to do more then just simply be kissed. She wanted to kiss him in return. His hand moved from her chin to the back of her head, tangling in the strands of her hair as his head slanted, his mouth urging hers to open further for him. His tongue stroked her bottom lip, tickling her and almost eliciting a giggle, but not quite. Especially when his tongue so deliciously stroked hers. This kiss was now something altogether different, something beyond simple kissing. It was something infinitely intimate. Kayla didn't shy away from the touch of his tongue to hers though. She didn't end it all right then and right there. She didn't send him away with a thank you for the experience. No. She did the only thing that she could think of doing. The only thing that felt right.

She kissed him back.

His arm slid around her waist and with little pressure he pulled her body flush against his rock hard one. Time seemed to stop in that moment for the both of them. He was aware of the softness of her flesh, of the sweet taste of her mouth and of her reaction. It created a thirst within him that a simple kiss was not going to be able to satisfy. Kayla was aware of how hard his body was and how good his lips felt against her own. He tasted faintly of the rum that she had used in his drink which was like an aphrodisiac to her already skyrocketing senses. Her arms wound around his neck and she gave herself up to the feelings swirling around inside of her, forgetting about sanity and promises to not get close. Randy raised his head after a few moments, looking into eyes made dark by emotions that he was trying hard to not think about himself. What he had planned as a simple kiss had become so much more. His heart was thrumming in his chest, his breathing heavy. He wasn't the only one affected by what had happened either. Kayla's heartbeat was irregular, her breaths coming in short pants. She wanted him to kiss her again but knew the dangers involved in letting him do so. One kiss had robbed her sanity from her, a second one would have her throwing caution to the wind. So it was with great reluctance that she slid her hands from where they had rest on the back of his neck to his chest where she pushed at him gently. Randy stepped back, knowing what she was thinking because it was in his mind as well. Kayla saw in his eyes what was on her mind. Want. Need. Desire. But it was that which neither could have without the pain that would come on the morrow. There would be regrets. They knew that. There would be wishes that they had fought against what they knew was wrong. They knew that too. So why was it so difficult to say no?

Kayla watched as Randy backed towards the door, knowing that to say anything would bring what neither wanted to have happen. She died a little inside with each step that Randy took away from her, wanting to call him back but keeping her resolve high to avoid doing so. How could they feel like this? She wondered silently. How could it feel like I'm making the biggest mistake I've ever made in my life? Randy felt the hard frame of the door hit his back and reached behind him to grasp the doorknob in his hand. A gust of cold air blew into the room as he pushed open the door, chilling his heated flesh only slightly and returning some semblance of his shattered sanity. He smiled at Kayla, a sweet, sad smile that tore at her heart and almost broke her steadfastness. It can't be she rationalized. His life and mine is just to different. We'd never make it. It's better this way. Every logical reason as to why she shouldn't go to him blared in her mind, keeping her body from moving, keeping her from making what her mind knew was a mistake. With one last look meant to last them both Randy stepped into the night and allowed the door to fall shut in front of him. His eyes closed tight as he stood there, his heart and mind warring with each other of what was right and what was wrong. His hand reached up to rest on the frozen wood, his mouth in a grime line before he turned away. Logic had won out in the end. With a sigh he turned to walk to his car and for one split second as he unlocked the car door he paused, wondering if he was making the biggest mistake of his life before he climbed into the car and shut the door.


End file.
